


Downrange

by BraviaryScout



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Shooting Guns, Shooting Range
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:54:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22947361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BraviaryScout/pseuds/BraviaryScout
Summary: A short story about Guardian Jayesh taking his son Connor to the firing range for the first time. Original characters by NetRaptor used with permission.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Downrange

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NetRaptor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NetRaptor/gifts).



> Hi folks, I got a short story that inspired me while I was at the shooting range just a few days ago. Big thanks to NetRaptor for allowing me to use her characters; Jayesh, Kari, Phoenix, Neko, Connor, Stephanie and Varan.
> 
> Enjoy all.  
> Brav

It was another beautiful day in the Last City with perfectly blue skies overhead and a rather calm uneventful day for the Vanguard.

That didn’t stop the warlock Jayesh Khatri from having to conduct his daily assigned patrols and bounties, but today he did them all with a bit of a brisker pace than normal. Neither of his fireteam members; Nell or Grant had complained and after he explained why he was in a bit of a rush, they were both excited for him. He was a tall man with darker skin and defined features that appeared roughly a man in his mid-thirties.

Phoenix; Jayesh’s ghost had stowed their ship in the hangar bay, already submitting a launch request an hour later. He checked in with Commander Zavala at his office post, promptly departing after he said that his weekend was free. Good news on a Friday indeed. He headed towards his apartment on the wall.

Jayesh didn’t live alone; he had a family of his own. A loving wife and two wonderful children with a third on the way. As a guardian; it was rare for them to sire or bear offspring, but for the Khatri’s it seemed as if the Traveler was looking out for them. His wife Kari was several weeks pregnant with a healthy baby on the way without any complications at all. They were set for a gender reveal very soon.

He reached his quiet apartment suite and turned the knob, revealing a small, but still spacious homey living area. The furniture was still rather new after a rogue guardian had broken into their home and he admired the other resident community in their efforts after the incursion to restore it to be even better than ever.

Jayesh was greeted by a slender woman with close cropped auburn hair and fair skin coming from the kitchen, also looking in her mid-thirties. He smiled as Kari put her arms around him, leaning her head against his broad chest.

“I’m sorry can I help you miss?” He jokingly inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I’ve been missing a husband for the past four days.” Kari played along. “Seen him around lately?”

“I’m here lovelight.” She looked up at him as he cupped her face and gave her a quick kiss. “It’s good to be home.”

“Daddy!” Jayesh released her as he heard the thunderous beat of footsteps coming from the other room and was stuck by a living missile of his youngest daughter. He caught her with his open arms, bringing her into a loving embrace which Kari watched in delight. Her own ghost; Neko quickly came out by her side beckoning her back to the kitchen.

“I missed you small-light.” He chuckled. Stephanie had her mother’s nose and ears, which he playfully nuzzled with his own. She giggled, putting her arms around him.

“I missed you too Daddy. Guess what?”

Jayesh’s eyes widened. “Oh yeah? What?”

“Stephanie.” Kari said from the kitchen. “Why don’t you let Daddy get changed out of his gear before you tell him?”

“Okay.” He set her down and she scampered into the kitchen to see her mother.

“Where’s Connor?”

“In his room.”

Jayesh made his way down the narrow cornered walls of his apartment, pausing at the outside patio that provided a breathtaking view of the Traveler and the City before passing the childrens’ bedrooms and headed for the master.

“Connor?”

“Hey Dad!” He heard a teenage boy’s voice call out from the closed door, belonging to his eldest. “Glad you’re home!”

“Me too.”

“Yeah. I’m just finishing up math homework. Sorry I wasn’t out there.”

“All good. Hey, when you’re all finished. I got somewhere I want to take you.”

“Gotcha. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

* * *

Jayesh had Phoenix phase out his armor and put on more casual clothing and went back out to meet Kari, who was busy distributing out different food items from the grocery sacks she had on the kitchen counter.

“I was thinking about taking Connor out.”

Kari looked at him, pausing from her work. “Out?”

“You know? To start target practice.”

Her mouth firmed but she gave an approving nod. “Yes. I agree. Sooner or later it’s going to happen.”

“Connor will be fine.” Neko chimed in, twirling his shell. “And I trust Jayesh to look after him.”

“We will.” Phoenix confirmed.

Connor came around the corner. He was a coffee skinned boy already starting to grow closer to his mothers’ height currently at her chin. He had dark hair in the same shade as his father, which Jayesh ruffled as he brought his teenage son in for a gentle hug.

“Where’d you go this time Dad?”

“Titan. There was more fallen activity close to some of the hydraulic power converters and we’ve managed to locate and drive them out after we put out some bait gear during patrol.” Bait gear was exactly as it sounded, trackable supplies out in the open meant to draw out fallen scavengers which the guardians would tail and locate their base of operations.

“All in a day’s work?”

“That’s right Con.” He playfully bumped fists with the boy, surprised at his strength. “Did you finish your homework?”

“Yeah Dad.” Connor’s own ghost Varan appeared behind him. “We finished it together.”

Unlike most children; Connor was born with a light spark already inside him. When his ghost Varan had found him, he was still growing inside Kari’s womb. It was the first time such a thing happened and it gave a rare sense of hope that new guardians could be born from guardian parents.

Jayesh was thankful for Varan, who had already forged a very close friendship with their son.

“Good. So I was thinking you and I could go out and do what I promised.”

Connor’s eyes lit up. “You mean?”

“Yeah. Both me and your mother agreed it’s time.”

“Yes!” He pumped a fist and stopped. “Oh...sorry. Got too excited there.”

“It’s okay son.” Jayesh ruffled his hair again. “I know you’re looking forward to it too.”

“Daddy!” Stephanie called out to him. “Look!”

She handed him a piece of paper, her recent science test that had a score of ninety six out of a hundred.

“Miss Ana said I’m really good at science.”

“Really?” He stared at it in amazement. “That’s awesome littlelight! I know you studied real hard for it. I’ll be sure to bring back a basbousa to celebrate once Connor and I come back!”

“And I’ll have dinner ready.” Kari was already busy at work using a long knife to cut up a rope of sausage. “Old Golden Age recipe that caught my eye from the North American Empire. It’s called jambalaya.”

“Just saying it sounds tasty.” Jayesh knew that Kari’s home cooking was always something to look forward to. “Alright we’re off! We’ll be back for dinner!”

Kari leaned over, to kiss him on the cheek. “Be safe lovelight. Have a good time.”

She did the same for Connor before shooing them both out of the apartment.

* * *

The two of them had taken Jayesh’s ship over to the European Dead Zone where the outpost known as the Farm was set up. Once a tiny settlement where the guardians and humanity hung on by threads during the Red War; it was now a larger base and the headquarters for the Earth operations and guardian detachment, protecting the small towns that were dotting the landscape.

Both Phoenix and Varan scanned their credentials and were granted access into the main center of the Farm’s base. While Connor wasn’t a full fledged guardian just yet, he was accompanied by one and briefly given special clearance and permission to walk on the premises with his father present.

They headed for a secluded part of the base where Connor could hear some rattling noises of gunfire. While normally it sounded like a firefight to the untrained ear, Jayesh remained calm as they neared the spot.

In a clearing off to their right was a large canopied roof between two open fields that had long cables suspended midair in long lines. The source of the rattling and popping of gunfire was originating from here.

“It’s a range.” Connor said quietly. “Woah.”

They walked down to the left side, where part of it was cordoned off to show a large obstacle course filled with ruins of cars, large rocks and trees. A cloaked figure; a hunter was blurring through it all, holding a small compact weapon in his hand as it fired in a muted cough from a long cylindrical suppressor.

Connor was amazed.

Jayesh checked them in and guided them both to an empty lane nearby. He hit the small access terminal at the end, pulling out a phased case as a weapon from his personal vault.

Connor watched as his father thumbed the tabs on the side, opening it to reveal a long rugged rifle with a bluish metal finish. It had a long obstructive scope on top of a rail and a large stock that was built into the weapon itself. Additionally, they each had a set of earmuffs to protect their hearing and a pair of workman’s goggles over their eyes.

“Okay. Let’s get started.”

The boy listened intently as Jayesh described each part of the rifle; from the stock, to the trigger guard to the barrel. The warlock lifted it out of the case, setting it on the table while continuing to explain.

In reality Connor found himself quickly becoming bored while getting bombarded with loads of information he never knew about guns in the first place. He wanted them to be like in video games; point and shoot.

“Now I know what you’re thinking.” Jayesh gave him a bottle of water as they took a break from all his explaining. “When am I going to have to use these?”

He leaned forward. “While Varan there will run the logistics, refilling your magazines with ammo from the synths, you have to be ready for anything else that might happen while you’re out there in the field. What if you gun jams because the casing from your last bullet fails to eject?”

“Clear the chamber.” Connor replied. “Recycle the bolt.”

“Very good.” Jayesh nodded. “That is but one of the possible problems that could happen at any time, so it’s important that you determine the problem quickly. Remember, out there in the wild or the Crucible; your weapons and your light is what keeps you alive.”

“I got it Dad.”

“Good. Now sit on this stool.” He pulled one over. “Use the table to stabilize yourself when you aim downrange.”

Connor lifted the rifle, his heartbeat beginning to increase from the excitement of starting to follow in his parents’ footsteps as a guardian. The rifle felt cool to the touch, yet not as heavy as he expected. Jayesh leaned over, hitting a button at the bottom of the optical aid and it flickered to life; showing a single red dot with a slightly dimmer backdrop. The sight allowed just a short amount of zoom.

He propped his elbows on the table, settling it into his shoulder like they had practiced and leaned his head so that he looked down the ocular optic with his right eye. It took him a few seconds to find the dot, but once he did; he kept it in the center as best he could.

“Good. Now I want you to focus on the target I’m about to set for you.” Jayesh hit a few commands on their lane. At once, a simple piece of target paper, a series of circles in varying size over one another was brought to a ten feet range. “Center that sight on the bullseye.”

Connor shifted his body for a minute, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Okay Dad I got it.”

“Good. You’ll notice that since your focus is on the target, everything else is kind of blurred. That’s known as tunnel vision and target fixation. It’s a little bit more advanced, but I want you to get familiar around weapons. You got those synths?”

“I do right here.” Varan floated close by, already loading the circular magazine that fed into the rifle. He gave her a quick thanks before sliding it into the magwell.

“Perfect. Remember your safety.”

“Right.” He actually had to take his head away and find the switch.

“Now before you can fire, you need to chamber the round. Each rifle has a charging handle or arming mechanism that needs to be pulled. You’ll hear a click when you’ve done it right.”

Jayesh showed him. Connor’s fingers gripped the small handle as he struggled to pull it back.

“Sorry. It’s a lot harder than I thought.”

“It’s all good son. That’s why we’re here to get you familiar.”

With a little more effort; Connor managed to pull the handle and he heard the clacking sound that indicated a round was chambered.

“Perfect.” Jayesh leaned down to inspect his son’s posture, already proud of how much he was learning. “Now the gun is live. You’re ready to shoot. And always remember to never point the gun at anything you intend to destroy.”

Connor steadied himself again as his finger curled on the trigger and began to pull.

The rifle fired, a distinct bark. Despite his best efforts; Connor found himself a bit shaken by the sudden gunshot noise and recoil as it bucked into his shoulder. He shook from a combination of both excitement and surprise.

“Woah.” He whispered in awe, unable to stop the grin from spreading on his dark features. “That’s...I don’t know what to say Dad. It’s great, but also really thrilling.”

Jayesh chuckled. “When you’ve been a guardian as long as me or your mother, it’s going to become second nature.”

Connor’s face fell as he saw that there was a neat bullet hole just on the bottom left corner of the target paper. “I completely missed.”

“That’s okay.” He reassured his son. “You’ve only started learning. Nobody’s going to be an expert when they first start. And if you managed to hit it dead center; that’s more being lucky than being good.”

Aiming again, Connor took a deep breath and fired again. Jayesh saw that his body was tensing in anticipation, but he could see that his second shot was still off and closer to the center than the first.

“Remember to stay calm and concentrate. Don’t worry about the rifle’s kick.”

“Kind of hard not to when it feels like it’s going to hit me in the eye.”

Jayesh appreciated his son’s dry humor, but continued to observe as Connor fired the rest of the magazine at a consistent pace. Similar to newer guardians who had little gun experience, he was still tensing up and a bit afraid of both the noise and recoil from each trigger pull.

He shot the last round and the bolt clacked open before thumbing on the safety and laying it down.

“So what is this rifle anyway?”

“The Trax Lyss.” Jayesh replied, looking at it rather fondly. “It’s a single shot scout rifle. And it.”

“It what?”

“I used this rifle during the majority of the Red War. Only thing I could really get my hands on during the City’s fall.”

“Weapon is your life.” Connor repeated.

“Yeah.” Jayesh smiled. “Even though it’s obsolete compared to some of the other guns I have in store along with your mother’s, I still keep it as a reminder of those tough times. And it’s an excellent beginner gun too.”

“How about you shoot?” He offered a white ammo synth. “I want to see how good you are with it too.”

“Alright.” After switching paper targets for a fresh one with the one Connor shot at would be taken as a souvenir; he stood up, fitting the rifle in his hands as Phoenix filled his magazine before he slid it home. His breathing steadied and his finger tightened on the trigger...all the way until he began to feel just a slight bit of resistance.

He fired, tapping the target at a steady rate. The rounds easily punching through the paper until all in its eleven round capacity were discharged.

“Woah.” Connor was amazed as Jayesh retrieved the target, showing every single shot landed within a one inch radius around the bullseye center. “You’re really good Dad.”

“Keep it up and you’ll be as accurate as me.”

“Can we keep practicing?”

“Of course.”

They continued taking turns with the scout rifle and Jayesh was already impressed that Connor’s aim was improving. He had yet to score a bullseye, but he was getting closer.

The boy listened intently to every word his father said, nodding in agreement and continuing to keep his solid concentration. After they got bored of the rifle; Jayesh agreed to let him shoot a shotgun that he had acquired from Suraya Hawthorne who had forged it in the field.

“Not bad kid.”

Both Jayesh and Connor turned around to see the same hunter who was on that big obstacle course casually observing them. Now having a closer look; he was a little shorter than average with dark eyes and a distinct short mohawk that ran directly down from the top of his shaved forehead.

“Um thanks.”

“No problem. I see you’ve got your ghost with you. Must be a guardian child.”

“I’m Varan.” She spoke softly. “Nice to meet you...um.”

“Marcus.” The hunter stepped forward, shaking hands with Jayesh.

His eyes lit up. “Oh yeah, you’re that guy who does all those custom paint jobs for people’s weapons.”

“You know it.”

“Hey mister.” Connor walked up to him and bowed slightly. “Do you mind if I shoot your weapon.”

Marcus’ hand went to his back, showing a Hakke made submachine gun that was kitted out with advanced optics, foregrip, suppressor and folding stock. Jayesh noted that all of the gun’s accessories were some of the most expensive one could buy in the City.

“Maybe not today. Military grade weapons are a bit of a step up from just starting out.”

“Oh.” Connor’s face fell. “Maybe one day.”

“Tell you what.” The hunter walked over to the vault terminal, taking a fully phased white colored rifle from the chamber. It was streamlined in appearance with a long bladed bayonet mounted underneath the barrel.

“Woah.” Connor said.

“That’s an exotic class weapon.” Jayesh explained. “The rarest finds and they often are much more powerful than standard military hardware. Like Sturm and Mom’s Graviton Lance. I’ve seen that rifle too with a few guardians.”

Connor grinned, already thinking of what he nicknamed Kari’s favorite rifle. “The gravy lance. What’s it called?”

“This is the Monte Carlo.” Marcus set it on the table. “It’s a fully automatic rifle although this one has a select fire feature that allows single shot. I think when you’re of age; you’ll be able to use something like this well wherever you go.”

“Something to look forward to.” Jayesh patted Connor’s head. “Nice meeting you.”

“And you as well.” Marcus gestured to the weapon still laying on the table. “I’ll be seeing the both of you out in the field?”

“What about your gun?”

“It’s yours kid. Consider it a gift from one guardian to another when you’re ready.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Connor wouldn’t stop talking all about his new gift all the way back from the range. In his hand, he carried several targets that were hit with his practice shots with the most prominent being the one that had three shots struck nearly dead center.

Jayesh was already happy that his son was feeling optimistic about being a guardian...and also had his first weapon ready to be used once he completed basic training.

“When you’re ready, you’ll be able to use that.”

“I know Dad. I can’t wait. We practice again next week?”

“Once you’ve done all your homework.”

“Maybe we can take Reuben. And see if Marcus is there again. I want to learn more from him.”

Jayesh smiled. “I’ll see what I can do. How about we go show your Mom how good of a shot you are and eat some dinner?”

“Yeah! I’m starving!”


End file.
